Reading & Research

Book Search

Find books from STCC & partner HELM libraries.

There are several options for finding the items you need. 

1.) Use the Library Catalog to search and place holds for materials in the STCC Library and Higher Education Libraries of Massachusetts (HELM) network. Not sure how to login? Get help here.

2.) Use the Commonwealth Catalog (ComCat) to find and request items from many of the academic and public libraries in Massachusetts. To login to ComCat, choose "HELM-STCC: Springfield Technical Community College" as your library, and use your STCC Library username and password.

3.) If what you want can't be found in either of those, use WorldCat to search over 10,000 libraries in the U.S. and abroad. Submit a request form to have books/articles from WorldCat delivered to the STCC Library.  

Use the catalog to find items in this and other HELM libraries. You can search our catalog

• by an AUTHOR, putting in the last name first;
• by the TITLE of an item;
• by the assigned SUBJECT of an item, if you know it,  or
• by KEYWORD. Keywords are essential words that you want to see in an item, for example, "business ethics." Try to think of alternative ways to get at your subject, for example, using "whistleblower," or "white collar crime" as alternative keywords.

SEARCH EXAMPLE: Your research topic is genetically modified food. Use the catalog to find books, encyclopedias, possibly a movie, on genetically modified food.

Start: try a key word search -- "genetically modified food." Remember: vary your search terms! For example, the concept of genetically modified food can also be expressed as genetic engineering, genetically engineered food, plant genetic engineering. Play with your searches - you do not get charged per search!

If you don't find what you need or want, your catalog can be expanded to search other community college libraries with whom we have borrowing privileges, by dropping down the box where STCC appears. This is a list of all the libraries that are members of HELM and that you can borrow from online.

You can search the collection of an individual library by clicking on that library, or scroll to the top and click on All HELM Libraries. If you find an item that you want to order, you can click on Place Hold, and log into your library account to request it.  

You will be asked WHERE you want your item delivered.

• PLEASE make sure you have it delivered to STCC.
• Click submit to have your request completed. You will get a call or email from the STCC Library when the item arrives here.
• Delivery takes approximately 4 business days and costs you nothing. PLEASE LEAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET MATERIAL THAT YOU NEED FROM OTHER LIBRARIES.

With your library account you can also renew items (as long as you do it before the item is due), as well as check what items you have out and when they are due.

If you haven't found what you need in the catalog, you can check at the reference desk for Interlibrary Loan assistance.